Hands In The Stars

44. Conducting The Audition

'The Red Camellia'. The sign met Ethan's eyes with such force he might have been preferred being knocked in the guts. No 'welcome to', no 'entry here', just the Red Camellia. The sign itself wasn't actually that bright, compared to others in the city. The red wasn't as dominating as others rosy pink or yellow and orange or sea blues. Yet, against the yellow streetlights, the gray sky, the dull, thick, threatening building and the curtain-drawn windows, it did not have to fight for its attention. The viewers eye fell on it naturally, hypnotizingly. Ethan took a step back and observed the slight lines of flashing colours from inside the club. In there, so loud of ecstasy and socializing. Out here, merely the natural cries for help and miserable peoples pleas could be heard. He wondered, as the heavy entry door called for him, if it would all be worth it. The familiar marching sounds of boots against concrete echoed down the alley and as a group of soldiers passed by the main street, Ethan slipped inside his second home.

An eerie feeling of unfamiliarity washed over Ethan as he noticed how little people were inside. Little might have represented the wrong word to employ, as there were still enough to prevent the club from looking empty, but the teenager had gotten used to the overcrowded, choking heat that tended to set later in the nights. He rarely flung by this early. It was only eight o'clock on a Tuesday. However, with Meihui gone to work earlier than usual and Edwin not answering his phone Ethan had no choice but to travel by the bus. That meant either coming in much too early, way too late or having to walk an unnecessarily long distance.

He walked directly to the backstage area, hoping to see Meihui before tonight's entertainment schedule started. Instead, he got met with the view of Travis fixing up Kuan-Ju's lipstick.
"Hey Muffin, hey Kuan!" Ethan greeted the two of them.
"Huh?" Kuan-Ju turned to give whoever had came in through the door a small stare. He seemed rather surprised to witness another person in the break room at this time.
"Who is it..?" Travis mumbled incoherently, and Ethan saw the short makeup artists flushed face peek at him from around Kuan-Ju's big wig.
"Oh." Was all Ethan hummed, as he tried hiding an embarrassed chuckle. Momentarily, all three of them darted stares between each other, then Kuan-Ju smirked widely. All work that Travis had put to trying to re-paint his lips a second time was now ruined once more.
"Oh Diamond darling! As I recall, you do not arrive until in two hours here. Ten o'clock on the clock, naturally. So, do pray tell, why have you found yourself here at this time, so very out of the schedule?" Kuan-Ju leaned back in his chair, wrapping his sturdy arm around Travis low waist.
"Oh I'm uh- I was just-" Ethan couldn't stop staring at the two. The shock of the situation had caught him completely off guard. It all felt out of place. He coughed awkwardly and looked at his feet. "I'm looking for mama Cherry." Ethan finally answered. He strutted up to the lounge-area and set his bag below the clothing rack. Turning back around, he noted the uneasy glance Kuan-Ju and Travis shared with each other, and something fell within him.
"Oh, darling... Didn't you meet Taioung at the door? Hasn't he told you yet?" Travis asked with a slightly arched brow. "I think you should go talk to Dorah instead. Cherry likely won't show today." 

Travis's words caused the already heavy rock in Ethan's core to grow even bigger. Looking around the room once more, he realized what he had missed the first time. None of Meihui's things were to be seen anywhere. None. Not only was his bag and coat not present; Neither Cherry's red and purple wigs or those glittery dresses, suits and leotards were around. Brushes, oils, creams, makeup, powder, glitter, accessories, heels, spray, nails, wipes, snacks. Everything that belonged to Meihui Xun was no more. Kuan-Ju got out of his seat to start getting dressed, and with Travis's attention no longer fixated on Kuan-Ju's lips, he quickly noticed the uneasy look on Ethan's face. 
"Don't worry too much about it. You should get dressed instead, you've got a show tonight right? I'll help you out if you want!" He suggested, trying to brighten the mood but Ethan wasn't really playing along. He knew full well that something wasn't right, the distress hung in the air like a wet blanket. He also knew that Travis was a master of making people forget worries that they probably should be thinking about.